


The Young and the Fierce

by BoPeepWithNoSheep



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Gen, also a few teens, the inner circle interacting with the children of skyhold
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-15
Updated: 2016-12-14
Packaged: 2018-09-08 16:24:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,337
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8851834
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BoPeepWithNoSheep/pseuds/BoPeepWithNoSheep
Summary: The children of Skyhold are vast and many, their interactions with the inner circle are just as varied.





	1. The Iron Bull

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by a prompt from the Dragon Age Kink meme found here ( http://dragonage-kink.livejournal.com/16500.html?thread=63374964#t63374964 ) if you'd like to take a look.
> 
> I'll be adding more character tags as they appear in the fic.

It’s been a long time since he’d been around kids for any real stretch of time. Not since Seheron where one of the tama’s would occasionally ask him to speak to her little brood of potential Ben Hassrath. He’d been fond of the kids, fond of the Tamassran until his visits ended in rebels poisoning their porridge. He’d stayed away from kids after that.  
  
  
The children in Skyhold are a mixed bag of orphans, refugees, magelings, and the occasional noble’s kid. He stays away from them, too many memories of little dead bodies. There are more teens though. They don’t phase him as much, the kids Bull’s _positive_ are lying through their teeth with claims of being eighteen or nineteen but he never says anything. Let the kids fight, as bad as it is, they need all the help they can get.  
  
  
It’s one particularly small ‘eighteen’ year old that challenges him to a spar. He’d heard about her before he actually sees her, a fresh elven recruit challenging seasoned veterans every other day or so. Doesn’t know where she keeps all that fight in her--She’s probably the smallest elf he’s ever seen and he pegs her at about fourteen but she could be younger. There’s a look in her eye though, something he’s seen more in seasoned Ben Hassrath agents than kids still growing into their ears.  
  
  
It takes a while but after a few weeks of making her way through the ranks she finally challenges him. He laughs at the request, not out of any dismissal but at the sheer iron clad _balls_ on the girl and he watches as she immediately seethes, ready to go on a tirade he’s sure. However, Bull cuts off her would-be teenage tantrum with a wave of one massive hand, “I like you kid, sure we can fight.”  
  
  
It throws her off guard, most people haven’t seemed to acquiesce that easily, he's wager, but Bull is never one to turn down a challenge. Besides, the kid reminds him of Skinner and if she’s even half as good with all those blades she’s got hidden under the overly large tunic she wears it’ll be worth the time. The kid wants to prove herself, and she thinks throwing herself at the biggest, scariest looking guys in Skyhold will do it.   
  
Honestly, she’s a kid after his own heart.  
  
He digs around and gathers information on her, snorts when he learns she’s telling people she’s _twenty_. Learns she goes by the name Gilly but with a name like Gilbertine that’s not really surprising and that as far as the Inquisition can tell she hails from one of the little border towns along the Frostbacks. There’s not much else on her, she came to the Inquisition with nothing but the clothes on her back and a smattering of wicked daggers.   
  
  
She fights wild like a hellcat, he learns quickly, and just as fast. She whips around like a praying mantis, those daggers more extension of her body than weapon, even dives under his feet at one point, slashing at his achilles tendon. He barks out a laugh and outright hops on his good leg to avoid the hit. Still, for all her surprising skill, it’s no match for the patience that comes with experience. Bull waits her out, takes a few shallow cuts for it, lulling her into thinking him a hulking glacier until she opens herself up for a finishing blow. He knocks her off her feet, and square across the training field, which he didn’t actually mean to but she’s just so _tiny_.  
  
  
When he beats her there’s a resigned look on her face, as if she’s expecting ridicule and preparing herself. Instead, Bull compliments her style and her eyes widen and her youth shines through with the look of wonder on her face. The way she moves, it's not quite like anything he’s seen before. The little elf doesn’t waste movements, which is impressive for her age but she goes for _every_ opening--even ones she’s not strong enough to actually carry through on. It’s probably why she loses so many fights, if he can train her out of it she’d make one hell of a melee skirmisher.  
  
  
“Keep coming around,” He tells her, mentally preparing himself for the taunts he’ll end up with about adopting every stray he comes across from the Chargers, “If I’m not here then ask Krem or Skinner. They’ll give you some good tips.”  
  
  
Gilly, not the kind of nickname he’d pick for a Charger, but they’ve got time to figure out a better one for the brat.


	2. Varric

There are a veritable gaggle of children that chase after Varric’s heels most evenings, they call for stories but few of the ones he’s put to pen and paper. Sure, he rattles off the tales of Hawke, or the Hero of Fereld, or even the newly forming stories of the Inquisitor plenty but just as many tales are spun on the spot at the suggestion of the children around him. The first time one calls him ‘Uncle Varric’ he nearly spits out the ale he’d been drinking. He never really considered himself a family kind of man, certainly not in a _fatherly_ sense but he thinks he can settle for uncle.  
  
  
“Tell us one about dragons!” Shouts one boy, small and lean to the point Varric thinks a strong breeze could probably send him tumbling. His name was Harper and he came from Ostwick, son of a mercenary and a camp follower. He’d found his way to Skyhold when his father had joined up, loved stories of daring and danger. Heard one tale about Hawke and the Bone Pit and had fallen head first over heels for dragon tales.  
  
  
“No, it needs mabari.” That was little Althea, true born ferelden if he’d ever seen. Her father had been a kennel master come to try and start up a mabari unit and before that she’d apparently been raised along with whatever litter he’d been caring for at the time. Girl had not one but _three_ mabari, all of whom were never terribly far. Varric thinks he’s told her the story of mabari rebelling against their Tevinter masters to join the Ferelden tribes _at least_ twenty times.  
  
  
“It has to be about _Hawke_ ,” Grumbles the most frequent purveyor of Varric’s little story time circle, the little elven Sive. Something of a fangirl, that one, could have given Cassandra a run for her money with how often the kid interrogated him about Marian. It made sense after all, the kid had been a Kirkwall gutter rat and _just_ old enough to remember all the good Hawke did for the city before she was forced out. “If it’s not about Hawke I don’t wanna listen.” She was a cheeky brat too, more like Hawke than he’d ever tell her, and it was half the reason she was one of his favorites.  
  
  
The three squabbled, and Varric left them to it, unless they came to blows he wasn’t really one for stopping them. Working it out of their systems got them quieter for he actually did tell whatever tale he would spin. Harper argued his point loudly, all arms and movement. Althea much more calm using the same voice he’s heard her dad use while training mabari. Sive nearly makes her snort, short snarky replies as the other children try to use her as their tie breaker. He waits for the first one to suggest a story about their pick and Hawke because he knows that’ll be the winner.  
  
  
Varric’s already weaving the words in his head, half truth half fantasy since it’ll be a Hawke tale tonight. Cuts out bits that he can’t tell for the sake of his kidling audience and sits back to wait, he’ll give them a few more minutes then he’ll intervene. He’s got a story with Hawke, her mabari, and a dragon up his sleeve but he’ll keep them in suspense just a little longer.


End file.
